Page 105 of The Closed Off Captain

“Can you call Stephanie?” he asks.

I immediately pull her up on speakerphone. “Chloe?” she says anxiously. “Did you get Aiden? I don’t know how much longer she has.”

“He’s here; we’re on our way.”

“Let me talk to Brielle,” he says in his low,don’t mess with me voice.

“She’s in a contraction Aiden, but she can hear you,” Stephanie says.

“Hey, Baby, I’m almost there. You’re doing so great.” We both hear a small sound, and his hands tighten on the steering wheel. “Breathe, Baby. You’ve got this.” The sign for the hospital comes into view.

I wave him towards the entrance. “I’ll park. You go.” He pulls up right in front of the door and slams the car into park. “Take my phone,” I wave him off. He jumps out of the car and runs inside, disappearing out of sight. I walk around to the other side of the car and go park and then wonder what to do next. They’re going to need all this stuff but not yet, and I can’t really go anywhere because he has my phone. I head inside the hospital. After asking at the front desk, I’m directed to the waiting room for the maternity ward. I drop into a chair to wait.

Not five minutes later, the door opens and Stephanie walks out. She sees me and immediately walks my way before dropping into the seat next to me. “That was traumatic,” she mutters.

I smile and pat her hand. “Just think. You’ll be next.” She tries to smile but fails, and I laugh. She just announced her pregnancy, with my help, at a Green Thunder game a few weeks ago. It was really sweet. “How’s she doing?”

“They’re preparing for her to push soon.” She puts her head back against the chair. “I’m so glad Aiden got here in time.” She faces me. “Thank you. Nobody else would have been able to get to him.”

“I’m glad it worked out.”

“Oh, here’s your phone. Aiden passed it off to me.”

I take my phone in hand and immediately check the game. It finished, but we won. I breathe a sigh of relief and wonder who scored the last goal. I’ll have to get all the details soon. My phone rings, startling me. Stephanie’s rings not a second later. She grins. “The game’s done.”

“Yeah.” I answer. “Hey, Gunner. Good game.”

“Thanks. So, I guess there’s a reason you stole our best player.” I can hear the humor in his voice.

“First off, he’s not the best; you are.” The words come out of my mouth before I even think about it, but I don’t regret them. I believe heisthe best player on the team; I always have. “Second, yeah, Bri’s in labor, close to delivering.”

“Did Aiden get there in time?”

I smile. “Yeah, he’s back with her.”

“Are you still at the hospital?”

“I am. I will have to be for a little while because I have all their stuff in my car. The car seat, their bags, and everything else. Aiden didn’t have time to get it; he had to run in.”

“Okay. I’ll come sit with you.”

“Stephanie’s here too,” I tell him. The door to the waiting room opens, and Amber blows in.

“Is the baby here?”

I shake my head. “Amber’s here too.”

“Okay. I’m guessing Rico and Sebastian will be heading there too then.”

“It will be a party,” I say dryly.

He chuckles. “I’ll see you soon. Do you need anything?”

“No, I’m good; but I’m sure you’re starving. Grab something before you come; I’m not sure how long of a wait it will be.”

“Okay. I’ll see you soon, Love.”

The endearment knocks the air from my lungs, and I end up not saying anything before we hang up. I stare at my phone a moment, trying to process what just happened. “Sebastian’s on his way,” Stephanie says as soon as she hangs up.

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